Jerusalem Online: Critical Cartography for the Digital Age - Paperback

by Valentina Carraro (Author)

The book addresses the rapid shifts which have taken place within cartography, and argues that no amount of technological sophistication will lead to neutral representations, and that as such critical cartography provides a solid foundation for questioning the power of maps. It considers the fragmentation, dynamism and opacity that characterise online maps, and argues for the need of new ways of thinking and researching maps. The book offers an approach grounded in 'ontological' social theory and feminist technoscience, and illustrates it through the analysis of three Jerusalem-related mapping controversies. Using online media, historical maps and ethnographic work, each case study explores a different map provider and a recent mapping development: Google Maps and the distributed authorship of web-maps; Waze and algorithmic navigation; OpenStreetMap and crowdsourcing. The book is a key read to faculty and advanced students in Urban Studies and Critical Cartography. It will particularly appeal to those working in the digital geographies

Back Jacket

The book addresses the rapid shifts which have taken place within cartography, and argues that no amount of technological sophistication will lead to neutral representations, and that as such critical cartography provides a solid foundation for questioning the power of maps. It considers the fragmentation, dynamism and opacity that characterise online maps, and argues for the need of new ways of thinking and researching maps. The book offers an approach grounded in 'ontological' social theory and feminist technoscience, and illustrates it through the analysis of three Jerusalem-related mapping controversies. Using online media, historical maps and ethnographic work, each case study explores a different map provider and a recent mapping development: Google Maps and the distributed authorship of web-maps; Waze and algorithmic navigation; OpenStreetMap and crowdsourcing. The book is a key read to faculty and advanced students in Urban Studies and Critical Cartography. It will particularly appeal to those working in the digital geographies

Author Biography

Valentina Carraro is Assistant Professor at the department of Human Geography, Planning and International Development of the University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. She holds a Ph.D. from City University of Hong Kong. The project on which this book is based was awarded the Chow Yei Ching SGS Outstanding Research Thesis Award and the Hong Kong Political Science Association's Best Thesis Award.